He's half human, or half deity if his mother is a goddess, is he not? Obviously either it takes longer to hurt him, or the fact he's half not devil makes it so that it doesn't hurt at all. Take your pick._________________Character Chart | Terminology Dictionary | Flashback Strips

Basically the reality zone is a mystery, and maybe Crim and Fuchsia don't even know what will happen if she enters. I think she's more afraid to find out. But that's just me. And we won't know for awhile as Tat continues to tease us little by little of its true nature and purpose. >.<_________________ My Art

I think she is more afraid of what will happen than sure it will be bad. I think she'd be fine, actually. Pebbles only caught on fire in places she touched the cross hat (head, hand), so in the absence of any crucifixes, I think she'd be okay.

It still seemed sad somehow in a way, but also heartwarming because he chose them without a second's hesitation. Criminee has that whole subtle strength, powerful soul thing about him. He doesn't brag, he doesn't boast, he simply does. No matter what. Also he doesn't judge, which is the most likely reason Fuscia & Tomey have chosen him. On their behalf I like the fact that they aren't upset with him. That they took it for what it was: he simply forgot. Too many other media would have them bein all upset with him. They however know better & aren't so simple._________________It's time to prove to your friends you're worth a damn. Sometimes that means dying; sometimes that means killing a whole lot of people.

I guess the Reality Zone does exactly as its name implies: To restore things to their "real world" self. The pitchfork didn't die - it turned into what it is in real life - a fork. So, as Pebbles demonstrated when she entered the Real Zone ( she got significantly more mature, kinda like Crim), I guess the Real Zone will turn Devil Girls into their "real world" self - that's, true demons. That's why Fuchsia is so scared of entering that zone. D didn't want to enter that zone either - so he probably knows that he'd be worse that what he is now should he enter the Zone - he'd become a true demon.

It's a nice moment for Crim: "I forgot". She is just Fuchsia to him._________________So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure;
How amazingly unlikely is your birth;
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space;
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth

This strip is probably the most complex strip I've seen in a long time.

On one level, it's about a girl who is afraid of herself and desperately wishes she was another person. Not wanting to be human or switch bodies, this is Fuchsia looking into a mirror and saying "I hate you." All she sees is what is wrong with her. Her inclinations, the reactions others have towards her, her old job, her personal mistakes. She sees a monster inside of her that's worse than the one outside.

Secondly, it's about Crim. He wants their relationship to be "real." Not just puppy love. And, as this comic shows, he is quite inept at bring that about.

Which brings us to the next level. This is about a relationship that is almost certainly doomed to failure. As sweet as they are together, they have issues that both brought them together and will split them apart.
Criminy is a quiet loner who reads books all day. He's more interested in learning than doing and seems the type who would spend 10 years in college and never bother getting a useful degree. He's not a manchild, but rather an eternal college freshmen - always undecided and believing his education is about learning rather than gaining a good set of skills for a job. His passive participation in social activities is another troubling trait, as he never initiates things, just reacts to them or goes with the flow. He has the strength to stand on his own and the ability to go above and beyond what others would do. But while he did harrow Hell for the one he loves, he did so alone. I have the suspicion that if others were around when Fushcia ran after Seymour's insults, he would have faded into the background, opting to support whatever plan Slick or Monique proposed in silent cooperation. Even if others had decided to abandon Fush, Crim would not have argued against their inaction and would likely wait till they had left to begin digging. Telling Seymour to piss off said more about how many lines he had crossed than it did about Crim coming out of his shell. He's less of a loner than he was, but still a loner. He wants to be around Fush, certainly, but more for how good her presence makes him feel than genuine interaction. Fush is his teddy bear, in a sense. He finds comfort, security, and companionship in her presence, but not in Fushcia as a person. That might sound cold, but it is supported by his childish behavior. A white knight is perhaps more virtuous than those who sexualize women, but both see women as objects and means to an end, not as people and an end in themselves. Crim is not malicious, just naive and seeking the status quo to become more permenant through his perception of a "real" relationship. He wants a chain on his teddy bear. Criminy needs to mature rapidly before he has a real relationship with anyone. He also needs to get his nose out of the books and realize nobody ever stops learning, experience is the best way to learn and is what authors use to write books, and that his behavior is selfish. Yes selfish. His book learning benefits nobody but himself, his interactions with Fush often benefit no one but himself and more often make Fush's life harder. He needs to understand that relationships are often one sided and (speaking as a sexist male who still believes in chivilry) he should be fully prepared and willing to suffer and toil to make Fush's life easier and happier. He hasn't done that and is oblivious to her needs, short and long term.
Fushcia, on the other hand, has issues. And not just self esteem and self image issues. We've seen rage issues too, for the most part defensively, but I for one am concerned at her tendency to back up her arguments with fireballs rather than words. She is getting better, but one wonders if she's getting the help she needs. Crim tries to be as good a friend as he is able to be, but he is not what she needs to get passed her issues. I'm optimistic about Granny and think she can help Fush, but it's too early to say that the problem is solved. Also, the situation with the Devil has yet to be given full attention, so old wounds could be reopened at the drop of a hat. Crim was the one who convinced her to leave the manner, but after that he's been no help. Particularly with unintentional blows to her peace of mind like this. And then there is the long term relationship with Crim that's bound to be unstable. The phrase "don't stick it in the crazy" comes to mind, mostly because it's correct. People with issues don't need intimate relationships that instinct and cultural works constantly shove in our faces. Love does not make the world go round. It's not for everyone. Not everyone has what it takes. Fush can certainly work through a good chunk of her issues, but she hasn't yet and thus isn't ready. Her reluctance, while based on other reasons, is correct. She isn't capable of a "real" relationship with Criminy. Long term, she'd grow frustrated with him. He's a recluse, doesn't bring food to the table (I could be wrong, but I don't remember him ever having a job), and is only proactive when it benefits him. In small doses, that's tolerable. Friends can put up with that. But not those who depend on each other. If the shit ever hit the fan, Fush would turn on Crim for completely understandable reasons, but intensified by her issues. It's easy to turn self loathing into anger against others, so her reaction to Crim's faults causing problems would be sizable.
Even if Fush sorted her problems out, there is still Crim's deficiencies. He needs to grow up and change his attitude towards his relationship with Fush. I apologize if I sound archaic, but love is not a two way street. It's a one way street, two one way streets parallel to each other if mutual. And, speaking as the sexist, it's the male's street that has to carry the heavy loads and be content with a severe lack of readily aparent compensation for it. Not because women are weak or men are strong, but because women are precious enough to deserve such treatment. It's natural for men to care for women above themselves. "Women and children first" and all that. Natural selection used to kill off selfish men, tragedy that it doesn't anymore, so obviously culture needs to pick up where it left off. To refine what I'm saying: life usually demands both genders struggle and sacrifice together, but males should volunteer to take the majority of the load. Women can obviously take care of themselves, but a male letting a woman (let's say they are of equal strength) carry the heaviest object is disgusting and unmanly. Fush havin that bakery job is fine (and her seeking a higher paying job is good as well), but for Fush to toil and Crim to do what he loves is not acceptable. Again, heaviest load goes to male. Not highest paying job, heaviest load whatever that is. Not about one working and the other playing, just who bears more of the hardship. There was an evolutionary component to it (women dead or too sick to have healthy child = no survival), obviously that isn't as big a concern anymore, but I think taking pride in sacrifice and being content with providing a better life than your own to another is no bad thing. If a woman had the same perspective ("I will sacrifice for the one I love"), I would not dispute it, though I would not find it to be beneficial. It could work (guns and medicine have equalized much), but it's just senimental, not practical.
Sorry for that trip into my opinions. Just want to be clear and as reasonable as possible. Not looking for a fight, just showing how far Criminy has to go before he's ready for a real relationship.

Enough of that one, moving on to the next layer, this strip showcases the relationship between humanity and its fiction. While one could claim it was born out of escapism, fiction very much fits in with natural human inlinations. We look at something real, find a problem, find a solution in our heads, then move that solution into the "reality zone" and see if the problem is solved. That's obviously not the writing of fiction, but that's where imagination was born. Our imagination exists because it allows humanity to plan out the manipulation of the world. We have come to enjoy reshaping reality and placing into it all manner of constructs. But evolution unfortunately left us with TOO good an imagination, unbound to the rules our constructs must abide by. Thus, fiction. We reshape reality in our minds, creating worlds populated with new people who are governed by our will. An author is very much a god as far as fiction is concerned, but they will forever be false gods given our current means of manipulation. I've seen a few videos on YouTube featuring "augmented reality" (which will be the next big thing, so start investing now) and various anime girls who have limited interactivity (their eyes will follow your hand and react to its proximity, a false mimicry of sight and touch respectively). When I saw this strip, I immediately thought of those tech demos and can't help but wonder if both grew from the same seed. Could augmented reality be a kind of singularity? A culmination of mankind's desire to bridge the gap between fiction and reality, the moment when fiction has the potential to be real?
I mean, it'll start with virtual pets or GPS mascots or anime girls, but how long will it be before there are virtual people walking around town? Is Tat being (unintentionally?) prophetic? Did he intend for me to think about it this hard or am I only supposed to see it as it is on its surface?

Sorry for rambling on as well as typing on a phone. Typos have to be innumerable._________________"Cada uno es como Dios le hizo, y aśn peor muchas veces."
- Miguel de Cervantes

Sorry for rambling on as well as typing on a phone. Typos have to be innumerable.

You typed that....on a PHONE? Hooooolllyyyy crap! You have more patience (OR speed with a phone) than me. Seriously, you put some of my longest posts to shame, and I did them on a keyboard at a computer. _________________ My Art

This strip is probably the most complex strip I've seen in a long time.

On one level, it's about a girl who is afraid of herself and desperately wishes she was another person. Not wanting to be human or switch bodies, this is Fuchsia looking into a mirror and saying "I hate you." All she sees is what is wrong with her. Her inclinations, the reactions others have towards her, her old job, her personal mistakes. She sees a monster inside of her that's worse than the one outside.

Secondly, it's about Crim. He wants their relationship to be "real." Not just puppy love. And, as this comic shows, he is quite inept at bring that about.

Which brings us to the next level. This is about a relationship that is almost certainly doomed to failure. As sweet as they are together, they have issues that both brought them together and will split them apart.
Criminy is a quiet loner who reads books all day. He's more interested in learning than doing and seems the type who would spend 10 years in college and never bother getting a useful degree. He's not a manchild, but rather an eternal college freshmen - always undecided and believing his education is about learning rather than gaining a good set of skills for a job. His passive participation in social activities is another troubling trait, as he never initiates things, just reacts to them or goes with the flow. He has the strength to stand on his own and the ability to go above and beyond what others would do. But while he did harrow Hell for the one he loves, he did so alone. I have the suspicion that if others were around when Fushcia ran after Seymour's insults, he would have faded into the background, opting to support whatever plan Slick or Monique proposed in silent cooperation. Even if others had decided to abandon Fush, Crim would not have argued against their inaction and would likely wait till they had left to begin digging. Telling Seymour to piss off said more about how many lines he had crossed than it did about Crim coming out of his shell. He's less of a loner than he was, but still a loner. He wants to be around Fush, certainly, but more for how good her presence makes him feel than genuine interaction. Fush is his teddy bear, in a sense. He finds comfort, security, and companionship in her presence, but not in Fushcia as a person. That might sound cold, but it is supported by his childish behavior. A white knight is perhaps more virtuous than those who sexualize women, but both see women as objects and means to an end, not as people and an end in themselves. Crim is not malicious, just naive and seeking the status quo to become more permenant through his perception of a "real" relationship. He wants a chain on his teddy bear. Criminy needs to mature rapidly before he has a real relationship with anyone. He also needs to get his nose out of the books and realize nobody ever stops learning, experience is the best way to learn and is what authors use to write books, and that his behavior is selfish. Yes selfish. His book learning benefits nobody but himself, his interactions with Fush often benefit no one but himself and more often make Fush's life harder. He needs to understand that relationships are often one sided and (speaking as a sexist male who still believes in chivilry) he should be fully prepared and willing to suffer and toil to make Fush's life easier and happier. He hasn't done that and is oblivious to her needs, short and long term.
Fushcia, on the other hand, has issues. And not just self esteem and self image issues. We've seen rage issues too, for the most part defensively, but I for one am concerned at her tendency to back up her arguments with fireballs rather than words. She is getting better, but one wonders if she's getting the help she needs. Crim tries to be as good a friend as he is able to be, but he is not what she needs to get passed her issues. I'm optimistic about Granny and think she can help Fush, but it's too early to say that the problem is solved. Also, the situation with the Devil has yet to be given full attention, so old wounds could be reopened at the drop of a hat. Crim was the one who convinced her to leave the manner, but after that he's been no help. Particularly with unintentional blows to her peace of mind like this. And then there is the long term relationship with Crim that's bound to be unstable. The phrase "don't stick it in the crazy" comes to mind, mostly because it's correct. People with issues don't need intimate relationships that instinct and cultural works constantly shove in our faces. Love does not make the world go round. It's not for everyone. Not everyone has what it takes. Fush can certainly work through a good chunk of her issues, but she hasn't yet and thus isn't ready. Her reluctance, while based on other reasons, is correct. She isn't capable of a "real" relationship with Criminy. Long term, she'd grow frustrated with him. He's a recluse, doesn't bring food to the table (I could be wrong, but I don't remember him ever having a job), and is only proactive when it benefits him. In small doses, that's tolerable. Friends can put up with that. But not those who depend on each other. If the shit ever hit the fan, Fush would turn on Crim for completely understandable reasons, but intensified by her issues. It's easy to turn self loathing into anger against others, so her reaction to Crim's faults causing problems would be sizable.
Even if Fush sorted her problems out, there is still Crim's deficiencies. He needs to grow up and change his attitude towards his relationship with Fush. I apologize if I sound archaic, but love is not a two way street. It's a one way street, two one way streets parallel to each other if mutual. And, speaking as the sexist, it's the male's street that has to carry the heavy loads and be content with a severe lack of readily aparent compensation for it. Not because women are weak or men are strong, but because women are precious enough to deserve such treatment. It's natural for men to care for women above themselves. "Women and children first" and all that. Natural selection used to kill off selfish men, tragedy that it doesn't anymore, so obviously culture needs to pick up where it left off. To refine what I'm saying: life usually demands both genders struggle and sacrifice together, but males should volunteer to take the majority of the load. Women can obviously take care of themselves, but a male letting a woman (let's say they are of equal strength) carry the heaviest object is disgusting and unmanly. Fush havin that bakery job is fine (and her seeking a higher paying job is good as well), but for Fush to toil and Crim to do what he loves is not acceptable. Again, heaviest load goes to male. Not highest paying job, heaviest load whatever that is. Not about one working and the other playing, just who bears more of the hardship. There was an evolutionary component to it (women dead or too sick to have healthy child = no survival), obviously that isn't as big a concern anymore, but I think taking pride in sacrifice and being content with providing a better life than your own to another is no bad thing. If a woman had the same perspective ("I will sacrifice for the one I love"), I would not dispute it, though I would not find it to be beneficial. It could work (guns and medicine have equalized much), but it's just senimental, not practical.
Sorry for that trip into my opinions. Just want to be clear and as reasonable as possible. Not looking for a fight, just showing how far Criminy has to go before he's ready for a real relationship.

Enough of that one, moving on to the next layer, this strip showcases the relationship between humanity and its fiction. While one could claim it was born out of escapism, fiction very much fits in with natural human inlinations. We look at something real, find a problem, find a solution in our heads, then move that solution into the "reality zone" and see if the problem is solved. That's obviously not the writing of fiction, but that's where imagination was born. Our imagination exists because it allows humanity to plan out the manipulation of the world. We have come to enjoy reshaping reality and placing into it all manner of constructs. But evolution unfortunately left us with TOO good an imagination, unbound to the rules our constructs must abide by. Thus, fiction. We reshape reality in our minds, creating worlds populated with new people who are governed by our will. An author is very much a god as far as fiction is concerned, but they will forever be false gods given our current means of manipulation. I've seen a few videos on YouTube featuring "augmented reality" (which will be the next big thing, so start investing now) and various anime girls who have limited interactivity (their eyes will follow your hand and react to its proximity, a false mimicry of sight and touch respectively). When I saw this strip, I immediately thought of those tech demos and can't help but wonder if both grew from the same seed. Could augmented reality be a kind of singularity? A culmination of mankind's desire to bridge the gap between fiction and reality, the moment when fiction has the potential to be real?
I mean, it'll start with virtual pets or GPS mascots or anime girls, but how long will it be before there are virtual people walking around town? Is Tat being (unintentionally?) prophetic? Did he intend for me to think about it this hard or am I only supposed to see it as it is on its surface?

Sorry for rambling on as well as typing on a phone. Typos have to be innumerable.

Okay, you know what? Find Tat. With your ideas and Tat's writing talent, Sinfest would be even better.